Austen James Milnerwood, PhD, is an assistant professor in neurology in the Centre for Applied Neurogenetics at the University of British Columbia. He has >14 years of experience investigating neuronal transmission and cellular models of learning and memory in the healthy and diseased brain. Dr. Milnerwood’s PhD focused on developmental synaptic plasticity and the temporal evolution of neurophysiological disturbances in Huntington’s disease and his ongoing investigations have lead to successful therapeutic intervention against early pathophysiological processes. His current program of research centers on investigations of basic synaptic connectivity and genetic models of neurodegeneration, including fronto-temporal lobar dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Milnerwood’s team has a large research effort dedicated to LRRK2 neurophysiology, and the effects of Parkinson’s disease-related LRRK2 mutations. He has received fellowships from The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, The Canadian Institutes for Health Research, The Bluma Tischler Foundation, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America, The Huntington Society of Canada and much of his research is grant funded by The Canadian Institutes for Health Research and The Michael J Fox Foundation.